Join us for the all new Marine Science Speaker series at Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center.  The winter/spring 2012 series will be held on the 1st Thursday of February, March, April, and May.

With increasing coastal development, habitat loss, and fishing pressures many of Florida’s fish populations are declining.  Learn how fish populations (e.g., spotted seatrout, red drum, and snook) are monitored by Florida scientists.  Discover the importance of habitat (e.g., seagrass, mangroves, or marshes) and how scientists evaluate habitat preferences for fishes.  Learn the importance and need for fisheries-independent data and how these long-term databases are used to provide information on relative changes in fish abundance, aquatic health, fish life history and ecology.  Data will be presented from recent scientific studies on red drum and snook populations, and examples given how these data are used for management of these species. 

Brent L. Winner, Associate Research Scientist

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Brent has been a fisheries scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for over 22 years.  He received his bachelors’ degree in zoology from Iowa State University and his masters’ degree in marine biology, specializing in sharks, from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  He’s caught, studied, and published scientific papers on a variety of Florida fish species including red drum, snook, sheepshead, snapper/grouper species, and sharks and rays.

We are happy to host the series at Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center at 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St Petersburg, FL 33702, with refreshments donated from the Friends of Weedon Island (http://fowi.org).

6:00p.m.  Friends of Weedon Island Meeting (public is invited, http://www.fowi.org)

6:45p.m.  Refreshments

7:00p.m.  Salty Topics 

For more information please contact Libby Carnahan at (727) 453-6522

Reservation policy

Before continuing, we would like to make you aware of our reservation policies. Cancellations - If your class is canceled for any reason you will be notified no less than 24 hours prior to class start. We will provide a full refund for cancellations made by Pinellas County Extension. Refunds may take up to 30 days to process. Payment - We require full payment at time of reservation so be prepared with a credit card to complete this transaction. Refunds - Refunds will be made in the event of a class cancellation or if the registrant requests a refund 24 hours prior to the class time. Reservations - You must be 18 to make a reservation. If you are under 18 and want to attend a class you must register and attend with a parent or guardian.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.